Sewing-machine



(No Model.) 2 ShetsSheet 1.

E. J. TOOF. SEWING MACHINE. No. 587,620. Patented Aug. 3,1897.

Wnesses. 1771/6723???- (Nd Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. J. T0015. SEWING MACHINE.

No. 587,620. v Patented Aug. 3, 1897.

/7 ZZ72/esses:- F fizz/en???- a/m W6 W "Wk J, 1 -z I UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN J. TOOF, OF NEW HAVE CONNECTICUT- SEWING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 587,620, dated August3, 1897.

Application filed February 3, 1890.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN J. TOOF, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of the city and county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machines, of which thefollowing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification.

My invention relates particularly to that class of lock-stitchsewing-machines employing a reciprocating shuttle, and has for itsobject to adapt such machines formakin g either a lock-stitch orchain-stitch, as may be desired,which object I secure by the meansforming my invention, as will hereinafter be set forth in detail, andpointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a portionof the bed-plate of a sewing-machine with the slide-plates removed,showing the wall of the raceway and the shuttle-carrier with a looper(for making a chain-stitch) supported therein also a portion of thepresser and needle bars. This figure further illustrates the looper inengagement with the needle-thread in one of the po sitions assumedduring the formation of a stitch. Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 represent theshuttle-carrier and looper with a portion of the raceway and needle,showing the looper in engagement with the needle-thread during theseveral different positions assumed during the course of the operationsin the formation of astitch, to be hereinafter referred to. Fig. 6represents a longitudinal section through the machine, as shown in Fig.1, on a line just left of the needle, showing the position of the looperwith relation to the raceway and the relative positions of thethreadloops and loop-engaging point of the looper when the latter is inthe position shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 7 and 8 represent a plan and edgeview, respectively, of the looper detached from the shuttle-carrier;Fig. 9, a plan view of the shuttle carrier or cradle; Fig. 10, thelocking device for securing the looper in the shuttle-carrier detachedfrom the looper; and Fig. 11 represents a detail view to be hereinafterreferred to.

To explain in detail, A represents the bedplate of a sewing-machine; B,the presserbar; 0, the needle-bar; D, the shuttle carrier or cradle; E,the wall of the raceway, and F my improved looper. This looper, which isadapted to be detachably secured in the Serial No. 339,050. (No model.)

carrier D in lieu of the shuttle and be operated thereby in a manner aswill be de scribed, consists of a supporting-shank f, provided with anarm or bar f, connected therewith, which extends when the looper is 'inoperative position in a line-substantially parallel with vthe wall ofthe raceway and is provided at one end thereof and on that side adjacentto said wall with a loop-engaging hook f and at its opposite end with aloopretarding arm f extending in a direction toward the point of thehook f and in a position close to the arm f, as shown.

The point of the hook f at the forward movement of the looper enters theloop 1, being thrown out by the needle, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6, andpasses through the same until the limit of movement in that direction isreached, as shown in Fig. 2, and the loop lies in the crotch between thehook and the arm, at which point the inner side 2 of the loop, which upto this time moved between the hook f and the wall of the race, has beenguided around the end of the arm f in a position, as shown in Fig. 2,whereby said arm will pass through the loop during the back-' ward orreturn movement of the looper. The inner side 2 of the loop is thuscaused to be passed around or onto the end of the arm f at the limit ofthe forward movement of the looper, as described, by reason of the loweredge of said arm at its point of union or connection with the hook beingformed to extend above the lower edge of the latter, as at f in Fig. 11,whereby the engaged loop will be drawn or guided to said higher edge atthe limit of movement of the looperin its forward movement and theforward side 2 of the loop be necessarily guided from the face side ofthe hook to a position to encircle the arm f, as clearly shown in saidFig. 11, which latter figure shows an edge view of one end of the arm f,with the hook f and the engaged loop, illustrating the manner in whichthe latter is guided from the hook to the arm f. The looper now beginsits backward or return movement with the arm f passing through theengaged or encircling loop until the end of the retarding-arm f isreached, between which and the arm f the side 1 of the loop is thencaused to be passed and slightly impinged until the limit of movement inthat direction is reached, as shown in Fig. 3. The function of this armf takes place at the next forward movement of the looper, as shown inFig. 4, when the hook f is being moved forward to enter the loop nowbeing thrown out by the needle, which function consists in holding theloop during the change of movement of the looper, carrying it past thenew loop now being formed by the needle and retarding the same duringthe beginning of this forward movement of the looper at an angle awayfrom contact with the said new loop, as clearly shown in Fig. 4.. V

In order to insure the inner side 1 of the loop being moved and held inposition away from the path of the forwardly-moving hook f to preventthe latter from engaging therewith and also insure the free passage ofthe hook between the opposite sides 1 and 2 of the loop, I have providedthe arm f with a longitudinally tapering flange f located almost whollyforward of the end of the hook f and projecting laterally beyond thesame and behind the wall of the raceway, as clearly shown in Fig. 6, andhave provided the wall of the raceway with a depression 6 therein,located adjacent to the path of the needle and on that side thereofopposite the advancing hook f as clearly shown in the several figures ofthe drawings.

The flange)" is adapted to engage with the inner side 1 of the loopafter the retardingarm f has moved beyond the same and move or locate itinto the said depression 6 behind the face-wall of the raceway, as shownin Fig. 5. The arm f acting upon the loop as before described, wherebyit produces a slight drag upon the same, also thereby assists inlocating the inner side of theloopin its proper position within thegroovec at an angle therein away from the needle and its loop,as shownin Fig. 5. The inner side 1 of the loop now being located behind thewall of the raceway, the advancing hook is free to enter the loop nowformed by the needle, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6, and pass through thefirst loop 1 2 without any possibility of 'interfering therewith. Afterthe hook has passed through said loop 1 2 the latter is drawn over oroutside of the loop just being engaged by the looper,'and when drawn upencircles the latter loop, as shown in Fig. 2, to form a stitch in themanner well understood by those skilled in the art.

The shank f of the looper,which is adapted to be seated and detachablysecured in the carrier or cradle D, is provided with a hook or lockingdevice 77.,whereby such connection is secured, which consists of aspindle 71', extending through an opening in the loopershank andprovided at its lower end with a hook 72, and at its upper end with ahead It as a convenient means for turning or operating the same. hen thelooper-shank is placed in the carrier D, the hook 71 is passed throughthe opening d with which the carrier is provided and is then turned toengage with the under wall of the carrier, as shown in Fig. 6, and holdthe looper rigidly and detachably in its operative position. Thelooper-shankis also provided (in the present instance shown) with aprojection f on its upper side, which projects upward in a positionbehind the retainingarm d,with which the carrier is provided, to assistin retaining the looper in position. Such projection may, however, bedispensed with. The looper by the means described is thus rigidlysupported by the carrier in operative position and away from contactwith the wall of the shuttle-race to avoid any friction with the latter.

The thread-engaging flange f as shown in Fig. 6 and before referred toas extending behind the face-wall of the raceway for the purposedescribed, may, however, in lieu of extending behind the same, as shown,he supported with its edge in a line with the vertical face of the walland perform the same function, as it will be obvious that the threadwill be forced or located in the depression 6 when the edge of theflange is in such latter posit-ion. The means described for retardingthe loop on the return movement ofthe looper may also be more or lesschanged or modified or be entirely dispensed with without departing fromthe spirit of my invention.

Having thus set forth my invent-ion, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a sewing-machine, the combination with the wall of the racewayprovided with a transversely-arranged depression therein at one side of,and adjacent to, the path of the needle, of a reciprocating looperprovided with a threadengaging hook, and with a projecting flangelocated forward of the hook having a thread-engaging edge locatedadjacent to the point of the latter and to the wall of the race, wherebythe engaging side of the loop will be located in said depression in theraceway and from the path of said hook, substantially as described andfor the purpose set forth.

2. In a sewing-machine, the combination with the wall of the racewayprovided with a transversely-arranged depression therein at one side of,and adjacent to, the path of the needle, of a reciprocating looperprovided with a loop-engaging hook, a flange located forward of saidhook, projecting laterally beyond the point of the same and behind theface-wall of the raceway, whereby the inner side of an engaged loop willbe located in said depression in the raceway, and with means forengaging with an encircling loop to prevent undue slack of the same onthe looper-arm during the forward .movement of the hook to enter thenext loop thrown out by the needle, substantially as described and forthe purpose set forth.

EDWIN J. TOOF.

Vitnesses:

SAM G. BARNY, CHAS. F. DANE.

